A surprise visit from his favourite Wolves player has helped nine-year-old football fan, Oscar Eckersley, regain confidence after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.
Oscar, from Tettenhall in Wolverhampton, received lifesaving medicines made from donated plasma during his treatment and – with support from his favourite team - he is now appealing for more local people to come forward and become plasma donors.
Video: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Oscar, from Tettenhall in Wolverhampton, received lifesaving medicines made from donated plasma during his treatment and – with support from his favourite team - he is now appealing for more local people to come forward and become plasma donors.
Video: Wolverhampton Wanderers
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NewsTranscript
00:00Oscar is 10. He's just turned 10. He's quite a shy child, but loves life. He enjoys going
00:13to school. He enjoys playing with his friends. He's just got a zest for life and we love
00:19him.
00:20About two and a half years ago now, just having a kick around, and a little bit after people
00:26had gone home, Oscar says, Dad, I've got a mark on my leg. So we had a look at it and
00:31we were quite shocked, really. It was like the size of the football, his whole thigh
00:36was basically black and blue. So obviously we were quite worried about it. It took a
00:40while to go down, didn't it? And we noticed more. Made an appointment with the doctor.
00:45She referred us then to the hospital. We then diagnosed him with what we know now as ITP,
00:52which is a condition where he's got very low platelets. And he bruises easily. He
00:56bleeds easily. It was really, really quite frightening, wasn't it, to start with? Just
01:01to think that if he could have a small cut at school and fall over, have a nasty graze
01:05or whatever, and he could basically bleed out. So he started his, what has been an ongoing
01:11treatment. Started with steroids to start with, which lifted his platelets, which were
01:16down to two, which is dangerously low. That responded, but went straight back down. So
01:22that wasn't going to work. Which is then we went to the IVID treatment, where he had his
01:28infusion in hospital. Had two of those. Now he's on a pill treatment now, which brought
01:33him back up to safe levels, which is great. And in the meantime, he's been quite worried
01:38about things. He's a bit of a worrier. He hadn't got the confidence to really go playing
01:42football again, which was a real shame, because it was like he was really enjoying it.
01:46He said to me the other week, he went, I just want to be a normal child. And he is, in our
01:52minds and in every other sense of the word. But when he says that, I think he just means,
01:57I don't want to have to keep going for these hospital appointments, and I just want something
02:01to make me feel better, and the same as everybody else. So, it's, yeah.
02:08Who is your favourite Wolves player?
02:12Rueno, if that's how I pronounce it.
02:16Hugo Bueno.
02:19To Oscar, I hope you are OK.
02:22I heard you are a big Wolves fan.
02:26I'd like to play some football with you.
02:28So you can show me your skills.
02:32See you soon. From Hugo Bueno.
02:38Well, we're going to a fan's house called Oscar. They told me about his story, and he
02:45really likes football, and just the fact that he's not confident to play with his friends
02:53is really frustrating. So, we're going to go there and make him feel better, and hopefully
03:02pass a good time with him, and make him smile.
03:08OK, let's give Oscar a little surprise. Let's go.
03:14Hello, my friend. How are you? You OK? Give me a hug.
03:21You want to play some football with me? You ready to play? Let's go.
03:30So, which position do you play?
03:32Defender.
03:34Striker?
03:35Defender.
03:36I normally like goalie.
03:38Goalie or defender?
03:39Well, goalie is just painful a bit, because it's basically a bit painful.
03:47It can be on your hands, it's cold.
03:49It's when you get hit with the ball.
03:52You know, when I started playing football, my first position was goalie.
03:56Oh, did you?
03:57Yeah. Then I changed, because it was a little bit boring, just in the goal.
04:03Do you know the Rabona?
04:05Huh?
04:06Rabona. This one.
04:08Yeah, I know how to do it.
04:18Give me five.
04:24I'm not going to let you score that easy, this time.
04:32I'm not shooting that.
04:40God, mate.
04:43You don't have a celebration? This one?
04:46OK, not bad.
04:48This is for you, Oscar.
04:50Thanks.
04:51You want me to sign it? For you?
04:53Yeah.
04:54Hold it there.
04:57His condition is about 2,000 in the whole of the UK,
05:01which is obviously a very small percentage.
05:03But all plasma treatments are quite rare,
05:06and as a result it doesn't sort of get the limelight that blood transfusions do.
05:10So, you know, anyone who does it, fair play to them.
05:13It's brilliant, and obviously it's vital, and it definitely helps us 100%.
05:17Thank you to everyone that does it, because they help people like Oscar.
05:21So, thank you.
05:26Thank you.
05:56Thank you.